Smooth Rollers Vs. Padfoot Rollers: Which is Better for Your Project?

When you’re looking to rent equipment for your construction project, choosing the right type of machinery to get the correct results is essential. With the plethora of equipment out there, making the right decision can be quite daunting, even when you’re only choosing from two options.

Perhaps you’re here because you’re looking to rent a compaction roller for your job site, but you’re stuck wondering if a padfoot roller or a smooth roller would do the trick. Choosing the best one will depend on your project’s needs, the size of your project, and the ground you need to compact.

If you’re stuck between the two, keep reading. Our team created a quick guide so you can understand the difference between a Smooth and Padfoot roller, allowing you to choose the best one for your construction project.

What is a Roller?

A roller is also known as a vibratory compactor, and its job is to rearrange particles in the soil to decrease voids and enhance its density, providing your surface with load-bearing strength.

Compaction rollers use a circular wheel, known as a drum, to flatten and crush the soil it rolls over. This heavy machinery is most often used for road work. Without them, surfaces would become irregular and more susceptible to wear and tear, which could be dangerous for citizens.

If you’re looking to rent equipment, it pays to know the difference between the two rollers, so you can choose the best one for your job site.

What is a Smooth Roller?

Smooth drum rollers use vibration, static pressure, and impact to compact various surface materials, including sand, gravel, rocks, and asphalt. Many road projects use smooth rollers to flatten and smoothen surfaces successfully, making them one of the most common pieces of equipment for roller hire.

• Single-Drum Roller: This type of smooth roller uses a steel drum at the front and pneumatic tyres at the back, providing you with quality traction.
• Double-Drum Roller: Unlike the single-drum roller, this type of roller has a twin-drum located at the front and the back. With less tyres the machine has less traction.

Smooth rollers are best for construction and road work job sites since they compact gravel, asphalt, and soil, turning any surface into driveways, foundations, and pavements. Not to mention, they work best for lengthy road projects.

What is a Padfoot Roller?

Padfoot rollers generate static pressure, impact, and vibration, similar to smooth rollers while generating manipulative force. Because of this, you get uniform compaction in the entire process. Also called sheeps- foot rollers, it uses tapered pads to penetrate and compact the soil to build its strength.

Padfoot rollers are best for projects where you need to compact soil at greater depths. Additionally, this roller type is best if you need to fill trenches in a narrow space since it gives you maneuverability.

The Bottom Line: Knowing What Type of Roller Works for Your Project Can Give You the Results You Need

Seeing as it can be confusing to choose which type of roller you should choose, it’s best to work with credible, professional roller hire companies to ensure you get the best option for your project. Knowing which roller to use will ensure your project is successful, allowing you to get the desired results.

How Can KEE Group Help You?

If you’re looking to rent equipment, it’s best to reach out to a company that you know would give you exactly what you need—that’s where we come in.

KEE Group offers dry hire and fully wet hire, such as rollers, excavators, skid steers, graders, loaders, semi-tippers, low loaders, and more. Even if you have multiple requirements, KEE Group is the one solution you need.

Call our team today at (08) 6401 8500 to learn more about how we can help you!

IMAGE © Katharyn Quinn 2021